Celluloid Heroes: 100 Years of Australian Cinema, The

This fascinating documentary series details the evolution of Australian cinema from the early silent-film era to the modern 'renaissance' in Australian filmmaking, when people like Peter Weir, Mel Gibson and Nicole Kidman become world cinema icons.

The early twentieth-century homegrown heroes like Chips Rafferty and Errol Flynn helped forge a genuine Aussie film image independent of Hollywood. Though the industry ground to a halt in the postwar years, it was spectacularly resurrected in the 1970s through films like Picnic at Hanging Rock, My Brilliant Career and Gallipoli.

Beautifully produced, extensively researched and narrated by Brian Brown, Celluloid Heroes is an unparalleled showcase of Australian film history.